A Game for Chess
by LittleGreenOne
Summary: A new twist on an old tale, where Chessire is the main troublemaker and is put up agianst the Queen of Wonderland. My first fanfic so give me all you got, read and review.


A Game for Chess

Chapter One

**The final bell screamed for the release of the prisoners more commonly known as students, and cleared away the fog that had invaded my exhausted mind. **

"Damn." I muttered, lifting my head off the desk that had become my pillow. Looking around the classroom, I noticed that most of my classmates had already left. So without having to be told twice, I gathered my 'Alice in Wonderland' messenger bag and walked out into the hall. I adjusted my bag to hang more securely on my shoulder, as it was hanging on by a thread. I'd the bag in question since I was in the fifth grade and now I prayed that it lasted through my senior year. It was hard not to like a bag that promoted the creature that shared my name. Chessire, Danica Chessire. Although, most of my close friends call me Chess.

"Chess!" A perky voice called from behind from somewhere down the hall. 'Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.' I thought as I turned to face the owner of the voice.

Alice Glass; senior class president, my polar opposite, and my best friend hurried towards me, trying to make her way through the mass of student bodies. She stood at about five feet and five inches tall, just a few inches taller than me, and turned heads when she walked into a room. Her bleached blonde hair reached her thin shoulders and was usually tied up in a ponytail and out of her face, which illuminated her bright blue eyes and sharp features. Her fitted blue tee-shirt went well against her tan skin and matched her light colored denim jeans.

She came to a stop in front of me, grinning like a five year old on Christmas.

"Chess! You're never going to believe what I just won." She exclaimed with excitement.

There are few things that could make me as excited as Alice, but I was willing to hear her out.

"What did you win, Alice?" I asked in a tired voice.

"You and I are going to see Wonderland at the Rabbit Hole tonight!" Came her shrill reply, and it only took half a second for the words to sink into my fogged brain.

"Wait, you just said that we were going to see Wonderland. As in The Wonderland?" I asked like an idiot.

"Yep! Tonight!"

Now, normally, the thought of a concert at the Rabbit Hole didn't do much for me, but this was Wonderland. The biggest band in the Midwest. They had just come out with their third album, which was flying off of every shelf in any given music store. And although I hated to admit it out loud, they were my favorite band.

"Sweet business." I replied with a smile, and then turned to leave with Alice.

As I turned, I bumped smack dab into a broad chest and stomach. I let out a sigh of air as I heard a low grunt. Taking half a step back, I looked up into the face of the person I'd bumped into. "Sorry, I should've…" I started to say but found that my throat close as I began to recognize the young man before me.

Matt Hadder stood, gazing down at me from his height of six feet and three inches. His golden eyes seemed to pierce my soul as they bored into mine. His pale skin appeared nearly translucent against the green shirt he wore. And from being pressed up against him, I could feel that he was built like and swimmer, lean and muscular, and I suddenly had the urge to run my fingers through his short shaggy black hair, which was covered by a black fedora.

"Watch where you're going." A snippy voice from beside me snapped me out of the Hadder induced daze I'd been thrown into. I turned to face the senior class's worst nightmare.

"Hello, Summer. How nice to see you again." I greeted her in a sarcastic voice, hoping to make her mad.

"Don't act all sweet and innocent with me!" She replied. "I know what you're doing." The thing about Summer March was that even though she was the most popular girl in the school she still attached herself to the boy I was currently smashed up against, who was undoubtedly the hottest guy in the state.

"Oh, really?" I asked, stepping away from Matt. "And what is that? Am I trying to steal your precious toy?"

Taken aback by my boldness, Summer puffed and stormed away in an angry rush.

"What a horrible witch." Alice committed as she watched her walk away.

"She's not always like that." Matt said for the first time since our bodily collision and again capturing my attention.

"I'm sure that even the Queen of Hearts had good days." I replied then pulled Alice down the hall and through the exit.

As Alice and I stood in line in front of the The Rabbit Hole concert hall I caught my reflection in one the glass doors. I had always found it highly amusing when Alice and I stood next to each other, as our styles were so different, but tonight we matched.

Instead of throwing my hair into a the usual ponytail, I'd left it down to flow over my shoulders in blood red waves, which showed off the black highlights I was born with. My dark purple tank top was low cut and showed off just enough in all the right places. The black fabric skirt flared out and made it easier to move and dance. Which left the only pieces of clothing that kept me warm while we waited were the black leather knee boots and the blue suede coat the buttoned twice in the front and covered my outfit.

Alice, on the other hand, was wearing a sapphire blue mini dress that clung to her like skin from her ribs to hips, but loosened up once it reached her thighs, allowing her to move easier. Her feet were covered by black Mary Jane's and knee high socks. To keep her bare shoulders warm, Alice wore a black half jacket, which showed off her slender neck since her hair was piled on top of her head.

"We look good." She stated as she looked through her hand purse.

"What?" I asked, jumping slightly.

"I saw you looking at your reflection." She answered casually as we began to move forward with the line. "Oh my god finally." I laughed at my friend's impatience and moved with the line.

Moments later, Alice and I were inside the Rabbit hole and staring at the inside, which was decorated with bright posters and dizzying strobe lights. The stage was located at the other side of the room and was already surrounded by screaming fans. I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned to face them. Behind me stood two men, both wearing white muscle shirts and black pants, and each of them had a red ace tattooed to the right side of their necks. They were holding chains with backstage passes.

"Ms. Heart wanted us to give these to you." One of them said and they placed the necklaces around our necks and left.

Alice and I stared at each other with wide eyes and open months, but before either of us had the chance to say anything on the matter, the lights dimmed and the sound of a guitar filled the room with its sultry sound. And a cord later, a tall, attractive, women with burgundy hair and very pale, marble like, skin walked onto center stage and took hold of the microphone the rested there.

"Welcome to Wonderland." Her voice was low and husky, and it caressed my skin like a touch. This was Diamond Heart, the lead singer and founder of Wonderland. After her greeting, the rest of the band appeared onstage and they began to play and sing over the roar of the crowd. The songs ranged from slow, to energetic, then to angry. Diamonds voice captivated the crowd like nothing I had ever heard before, and I had every one of their albums, but I never knew that the difference would have been that noticeable.

A few hours later, the concert ended in an uproar of applause and cheers. The band left the stage and let the bouncers take care of the mob, but since Alice and I had backstage passes, we made our way towards the door we'd seen the band leave through. After showing the bouncers our passes we were escorted to the green room, where the band was relaxing after the show.

"Ms. Heart, the girls that you selected." One of the bouncers stated as we entered the room.

The band was scattered around the room, some lying on the couches provided, some sat at a round table playing a game drinking game called Quarters. I saw that in the far corner sat a younger girl, no older than me at seventeen, reading a leather bound book. She was a very small mousy person, with black hair and pale skin. \

"Oh, yes, I remember." Came the voice of Diamond Heart. Both Alice and I turned to face the stunning singer. "My brother's pet." She almost sneered.

Confused at her words, I casted a glance at Alice, who was trying not stare at the guitar player. Although I had to admit he was attractive with his short hair, dark eyes and lean body. Quickly I elbowed her in the ribs, regaining her attention.

"What?" She asked, jumping a little.

"No." I told her firmly, knowing what was going through her mind. Alice rolled her eyes, but kept them on Diamond. "I don't understand what you mean." I said to the singer before me.

Diamond sighed impatiently and waved her hand at us.

"Why my brother finds you attractive, I'll never know." She said.

"But we don't know your brother." Alice told her, confused.

"We'll just see about that." Diamond muttered, and then turned to face her band. "But first, let's introduce everyone of importance." She added, gesturing to the nearest band members. "My guitar player is Derek Dee and his brother, Darren Dum, is my drummer." She explained, gesturing once more to the group of men sitting at the table.

The man she had addressed as Darren lifted his head, and we saw that he was the identical twin of his brother. Both of the twins stood and made their way towards Alice and I, and came to a stop in front of us. I felt myself tense as they reached for our hands at the same time and kissed the backs of them.

"Nice to meet you." They greeted in the same voice.

"Thank you." Alice and I answered, pulling our hands back.

"Now for a bit of entertainment." Diamond stated casually. "Oh, little brother!" She called out.

I turned to say something to Alice, but stopped short at the look on her face. Her eyes were wide with shock, so against my better judgment I turned to look at what she was seeing. And what I saw shocked me more than I was willing to admit.

"Oh, um…" Matt Hadder stammered at the sight of Alice and me.

"Matt?" Alice asked, being the first to regain control of her speaking abilities, God bless her.

"Hello, Alice." Matt greeted, having recovered from his temporary shock. "Hello, Chess." He turned soul piercing eyes on me and I felt my knees nearly give out.

"Matt?" I struggled to find my voice. I had seen this boy, and had liked him secretly, every day since freshmen year, but never really seen him like I was now.

He was dressed like every teen girl's wet dream, in his silk burgundy button up shirt that was tucked into a pair of well fitting black dickies. The top three buttons on the shirt were undone, revealing a black muscle shirt and a glimpse of skin. I saw his eyes travel the length of my body from underneath the hair that had fallen over his forehead, which was again covered by a black and red pinstripe fedora.

"Hadder." Came his soft reply, as he took a few steps forward. "People call me Hadder."

"Oh…" I tried to think of something to say other that 'oh', but for some unknown reason my brain took a random vacation. "I didn't know you had a sister." I blurted out.

Next to me, I felt Alice stifle a laugh and I elbowed her in the side.

"We share a mom." He answered me with a small smile. "That's why our names are different." He explained. I nodded in agreement and started to relax, slightly.

Once again I let my eyes wander around the room and once again my eyes fell on the girl in the corner, but this time she was watching my interaction with Hadder.

"Who is this?" I asked no one in particular, but as soon as the words left my mouth it was as if everyone in the room stilled and turned attention on me. "What?"

"This is my younger sister, Dina. But Diamond likes to call her Oyster." Hadder answered politely. "She travels with Wonderland."

"Why?" Alice asked, and once again the room stilled.

"It's complicated." Came the reply. My eyes widened when I realized that it was Dina who had spoken. Her voice was low and sensual, and it sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"Oh, well." Alice stated. "That's cool."

"If you say so." Dina answered, and then went back to reading.

"I think it's time for your pet and her friend to go." Diamond told Hadder in a voice that left no room for argument, and then turned to leave through a door in the back of the room. "Come, Oyster." She ordered. Silently, Dina got up and followed her sister.

Without saying a word, Hadder led Alice and me out of the green room and back to the main concert hall.

"Okay, why did your sister keep calling me your pet?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Oh, man!" Alice cried out before Hadder could answer. "I left my purse in the green room." She whined.

"I didn't even see you put it down." I told her.

"When the twins said 'hello' I think I dropped it on the table." She explained.

"I'll go get it." Hadder offered. I shook my head.

"No I will." I told him. "Walk Alice to my car, it gets kind of rough at this time of night." I explained, handing my keys to Alice. "I'll be right back." I assured her, and then made my way back to the green room. I found it slightly odd that the bouncers were nowhere to be seen, but put the concern out of my mind.

When I reached the room I was headed for, I found that the door, which had been left wide open, was almost closed, and there was a small crack that allowed me to see into the room. As I watched through the crack I heard Diamond singing one of my favorite songs, and a moment later, the singer entered my line of vision and I saw that her mouth wasn't moving. In fact it appeared as if she was listening intently.

"No!" She suddenly shouted, causing me to jump slightly. "You sound all wrong!"

"I'm sorry, Diamond. I'm trying." Came a frail reply and it only took me a few seconds to realize that it was Dina who was singing, not Diamond. This meant that the reason Dina's voice had sounded so familiar to me was that it was her singing during the concert, while her sister mouthed the words and took all the credit. Diamond Heart was a fake.

"Oh my God." I said aloud, not meaning to. I tried to take the sound back, but the damage had been done. A moment later, Diamond and the two bouncers were on top of me, holding me down while I struggled to get free. "Hadder!" I tried to call out, but a hand moved over my mouth and my air was suddenly cut off. Moments later, I felt my mind get all fuzzy and slipped into unconsciousness.

A bright light pierced through my eyelids, causing me to flinch away from it. As I struggled to become conscious, I heard a loud giggle, and the light disappeared. Slowly, almost carefully, opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. And the first thing I noticed was that I was no longer in the green room at the Rabbit Hole, and knew I was in serious trouble. I turned my head and saw that I was in a room filled with instrument cases and what looked like traveling gear. Slowly, I sat up and I realized that I was lying on top of a full sized bed. All at once, frightening images filled my head and I felt my heart rate increase substantially.

"They didn't touch you." A cold voice informed me, and I turned to find its owner.

Diamond stood in the door frame, her figure illuminated by the light behind her.

"What?" I asked, almost breathlessly.

"You heard me." She snapped rudely, taking a few steps into the room.

"Where am I?"

"Wonderland's main house and this is where you'll stay until I can figure out what to do with you." She answered with cold finality.

I shot up off the bed and stood up faster than I have probably ever moved and stared at the singer before me with wide eyes.

"Wait? Why?" I cried out.

"Because I am Queen and I refuse to be taken down by a sneaky little girl like you." Was her cruel answer.

And I knew what this was all about. Diamond Heart was afraid that if I were to leave, I would tell the world what I saw.

"Oh, this is about what I saw with you and your little sister." I blurted out. At my words, Diamond laughed hysterically.

"My little sister!" She chuckled. "Oh, she's not _my_ little sister." I stared at her, confused. "Oyster is _Hadder's _little sister. They share the same parents."

I felt my eyes widen, but had to admit to myself that it made sense, as Dina and Hadder resembled each other.

"Where is Hadder?" I asked casually, trying to figure out how to get out of my present situation.

"I'm not going to tell you." Diamond answered, taunting me. An almost evil grin spread over her face and the sight of it sent shivers crawling over my skin. "But I'll tell you what. If you can beat me at Quarters, I'll let you leave and go find him." She said darkly.

"Run that by me again…" I told her, as she had confused me thoroughly.

"You beat me at a game and I let you leave." She repeated impatiently.

I saw that she held no expectations of me beating her and I knew that even as small as it might be, this was my only shot at getting out of here. I nodded and she led me out of the room I had been kept in. As she led me through the building I made notices of all the doors and windows, knowing that I might have to make a quick getaway.

Eventually, we reached a room that appeared to be a den. It was filled with modern furniture and posters of Wonderland hung on every wall. In the middle of the room rested a small table with chairs surrounding it, and in the middle of the table sat two shot glasses and two quarters.

"Sit." Diamond told me and went to the mini refrigerator that sat near the table. She reached in and pulled out a large bottle of vodka. "Oops, you're not legal, are you?" She sneered, as if not being of drinking age was a huge feux pas. "Oh well, I want this game to be interesting." She added and approached the table. "You know how to play, right?"

"I think so." I lied easily.

"Bounce the quarter into my glass, you lose, you drink." She explained. I nodded my understanding.

She sat down at the table, but before either of us could start, the door, which she had closed, flew open and the rest of the band filed into the room. I saw Hadder enter last and I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it.

"Chess!" He all but shouted, rushing to me and throwing his arms around my neck. "Are you hurt?" He asked with genuine concern.

Before I could answer him, Diamond slammed her fist onto the table.

"Excuse me!" She screamed, getting to her feet and glaring at Hadder and I. "We were about to play a game!"

"And?" Hadder asked as he stared at her.

"And if you keep me from beating your pet I'm going to have one of my aces dispose of her and Oyster!" She threatened dangerously. By her tone alone, I knew she was serious.

"You wouldn't?"

"I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but due to a death in the family, Wonderland has decided to take a break from performing." Diamond said in a sad voice, while the rest of the band pretended to mourn. "Now, let's get back to the game."

Hadder and I were silent, as to not anger her further.

A few moments later the game began and I was the first to drink, not surprising anyone and earning cheers from the band and a groan from Hadder, followed by Diamond. After countless rounds of bouncing and drinking, I began to feel the effects of the vodka, having to once again throw the fiery liquid down my throat and once again trying not gag. As Diamond took hold of her quarter, I leaned against Hadder, who placed his hands on my waist to steady me. I saw with alcohol filled eyes that the quarter landed in the small glass, and reached for my own, but found that my arms would no longer obey me.

"I win!" She explained drunkenly. "You don't get to leave."

"Over my dead body!" I heard Hadder shout, and suddenly I was being pulled up so abruptly that I thought I was going to faint. In my drunken haze I felt myself being lifted and very quickly being taken away.

Voices and footsteps followed me and whoever was carrying me and I was afraid to think about what they were yelling.

"Chess, stay with me." A soft plea whispered in my ear. "I should've known she would have put something in the vodka."

"Hadder…" I tried to whimper as I was jostled for a moment, the placed onto a soft surface. I heard a door close, then another open. "Take me away from Wonderland…"

"Oh, you're never going anywhere near Wonderland again." I heard his voice tell me forcefully, like it was a promise, one he would keep until the day he died.

**The final bell screamed for the release of the prisoners more commonly known as students, and cleared away the fog that had invaded my exhausted mind. **

"Damn." I muttered, lifting my head off the desk that had become my pillow. Looking around the classroom, I noticed that most of my classmates had already left. So without having to be told twice, I gathered my 'Alice in Wonderland' messenger bag and walked out into the hall. I rubbed my eyes with fatigue and made my way through the endless sea of bodies, towards my locker. My head felt as though it was about to explode and my stomach felt as if I had eaten bad sushi.

"Chess!" A voice from behind me somewhere yelled out.

I turned to face my best friend and for some unknown reason relief washed over me in a massive wave that nearly knocked me to my knees. _**'Must be the after effects of that weird ass dream.'**_ I thought with a shake of my head.

Alice stopped next to me, grinning like a child on Christmas day.

"So wasn't Wonderland awesome?" She asked with excitement as I opened my locker.

"Huh?" I asked like an idiot.

"But the only thing I don't get is why Matt Hadder called me and said that you were staying the night with him." She asked me with a grin.

"Hello, Chess." A low soft whisper greeted me, sending shivers down my spine.

"Hadder." I whispered, turning to face the boy who had spoken.

As soon as my eyes met Hadder's, everything came rushing back to me in a flood of memories, and I had to will myself to stay standing under the effect those golden eyes had on me. The images that invaded my mind passed like an old movie and I saw Diamond Heart yelling at Dina for sounding wrong and then again as she challenged me to game of Quarters, during which she used tainted vodka.

"She spiked it." I blurted out as I remembered everything. I saw Hadder's face light up with relief and happiness, and he nodded.

He took a step forward, trapping me between his body and my locker, and he circled my waist with his arms. I felt my feet leave the floor and I knew what it was that I wanted most in the world. Reaching up and grabbing his fedora, I lifted it off his head.

"Alice, hold this." I said and dropped it onto her head, then proceeded to run my fingers through his silky hair, letting it fill my hands. "I remember your sister calling me your pet."

"Yes, well she never was any good at keeping secrets." He whispered, his lips moving against my own. "And besides, I've always like to think of it as the other way around." He added with a grin.

I pulled his head down and captured his lips with mine in almost desperation, and felt the magnificent rush of being wanted flow through my veins. And what seemed like hours later, Hadder and I pulled back and laughed at the looks we had gathered.

"So now that that's over and done with," Alice stated, giving Hadder his hat back. "Are you going to tell me what Wonderland is really like?" She asked curiously.

I turned in Hadder's arm and looked at my best friend.

"You know, Alice, Wonderland isn't all that it's cracked up to be." I answered her with a true smile and hugged Matt Hadder my side.


End file.
